Advances and Perspectives in Muscular Dystrophies

Advances in Molecular Analysis of Muscular Dystrophies

The congenital muscular dystrophies in 2004: a century of exciting progress.

The congenital muscular dystrophies are a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders. The clinical features range from severe and often early fatal disorders to relatively mild conditions compatible with survival into adult life. The recent advances in the genetic basis of congenital muscular dystrophies have allowed to significantly improve our understanding of their pathogenesis and clinical ...

The muscular dystrophies.

The muscular dystrophies are disorders of progressive muscular degeneration and weakness. As a group they display clinical heterogeneity that reflects the heterogeneity of molecular mechanisms responsible for them, and range from congenital to adulthood onset. Recent advances in the field include improved methods of diagnosis, continued identification of disease genes, and the development of a ...

Three Muscular Dystrophies: Review Loss of Cytoskeleton-Extracellular Matrix Linkage

Muscular dystrophies are a group of diseases that primarily affect skeletal muscle and are characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness. Although these diseases have been clinically recognized for a number of years, genetic defects in a number of muscular dystrophies have only recently been identified. One of the most important advances in understanding the molecular genetics of neu...

Progress and prospects of gene therapy clinical trials for the muscular dystrophies.

Clinical trials represent a critical avenue for new treatment development, where early phases (I, I/II) are designed to test safety and effectiveness of new therapeutics or diagnostic indicators. A number of recent advances have spurred renewed optimism toward initiating clinical trials and developing refined therapies for the muscular dystrophies (MD's) and other myogenic disorders. MD's encom...